Automobile chassis of sheet metal stampings



J. P. TARBOX AUTOMOBILE CHASSIS OF SHEET METAL STAHPINGS Re. 18,750

Feb. 28, 1933.

I s Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed uec. 21.. 19 27 IN V EN TOR.

J. P. TARBOX Feb. 28, 1933.AUT0M0BILE CHASSIS OF SHEET METAL STAMPINGS R 18 750 Original Filed Dec 21, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 MI I IN VEN TOR.

J. P. TARBOX Feb. 28, 1933.AUTOMOBILE CHASSIS 0F SHEET METAL swmmes' R 1 75 Origihal'Filed Dec. 21, 1927 5 h -Sheet IN VEN TOR.

FIG. 6

Reissued Feb. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE JOHN P. TARIBOX, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO EDWARD G. BUDD MANUFACTURING CO., PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN SYLVANLA.

AUTOMOBILE CHASSIS OF SHEET METAL STAMPINGS Original No. 1,737,810, dated December 3, 1929, Serial No. 241,685, filed December 21, 1927. Application for reissue filed December 2, 1931. Serial No. 578,567.

The outstanding object of my invention is the attainment in an automobile chassis of those degrees of lightness, stifiness, freedom from joints and high economy in production which the use of relatively thin and expansive sheet metal stampings have secured to the automobile body. In other words, it has been my aim to so construct an automobile chassis of relatively thin sheet metal stampings that these advantages will be secured.

Heretofore it has many times been pro-,

merely relatively heavy, strength and stifl:''

ness could not be secured sincetherelative inter-bracing of the parts is otherwise insuflicient. Yet if the gauge be made sulficiently heavy to attain these two advantages, the other two, lightness of construction and economy of production were u-nduly defeated. Indeed, in many constructions it would be impossible to draw the metal were its gauge made suflicient to meet the requirements.

Accordingly, I have made it also an object of my invention to attain such disposition of the relatively thin sheet metal, and such disposition of the joints thereof as would insure strength and stiffness and rigidity amply sufficient for all purposes without in any instance :sacrificing the lightness and economy of production.

Stated in general terms, my construction comprises a. chassis of structural form, the

various structural members of which, as for example, the chassis side sills and cross braces, are of hollow cross section and are comprised in entirety of two sheet metal stampings, an upper sheet metal stamping constituting outer and upper portions of the member, and a lower sheet metal stamping constituting the inner. and lower portions of the member, which sheet metal stampings are joined together in their margins.

In the drawings I show the best embodiment of my invention now known to me but it is obviously capable of other embodiments both in part and in parcel without departing from its generic spirit.

Of the drawings, I

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the left. side of the chassis.

Figure 2 is a corresponding left side elevation.

, Figures 3-A and- 3B are enlargements of the front and rear endsof the plan view of Figure 1.

Figures 4A and 4-B are respectively corresponding enlargements of the left side elevation thereof;

Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are respectively cross sections on lines of corresponding number in the directions of the applied arrows in Figs. 1 to 4B.

Figures 12 and 13 are cross sections show ing each a modified form of the chassis side sill, the sections being transverse sections of the sill.

Figure 14 is a section taken on line 14 14 of Fig. 13.

The structural form of-the chassis in elevation and plan is in outline and in position of members essentially similar to the structural form of the standard automobile chas sis of today. While similar, however, it does difier from it in a number of respects which will be clearly apparent. Its similarity is v principally in the use of longitudinally ex-' tending side sills 20 and transversely extend- 90 ing cross braces 21 to 25. Its structural dissimilarities are principally in the forms of members of a chassis, of a gauge approaching in thinness, if not actually reaching in .thinness, the gauge employed in the outer panel of sheet metal bodies and in the relatively thin frame members thereof.

The entire outer and upper walls of the sills 26 and 27 ,respectively,togetherwiththe entire upper walls designated 28 of the cross braces. are formed-in common as a stamping from a single sheet of relat1vely light gauge sheet metal. The entire inner and lower walls .29,

30 of the chassis sidewalls and of the cross braces designated, 31 are constituted in common .of an integral one piece stamping of relatively thin gauge sheet metal. These two integral one piece stampings are joined together in their generally flanged margins to constitute the chassis. The joining is by crimping the meeting flanged edges of the parts of the hollow sections,- thereby forming reinforced shoulders projecting outwardly of the generally hollow form parts. Thus, theparts of the sill are crimped together at 32 and 33, the lower outer margins and the upper inner margins, ,the respective stampings therefor forming the adjacent sides of the box section.

' The crimped joints 32 and 33 may be of any well known form. That one shown embodies in the sta'mpings the locking shoulders 34. The crimped joint 33 is offset downwardly to form a shoulder for a floor board support. This ofi'set is in the same plane with'the crimped joints 33 of the cross braces, whereby the cross braces also aflt'ord a floor board support. The upper surfaces 28 of these cross braces lie in the same plane as the top'of the flooring and therefore constitute a part thereof. Through this disposition of the crimped joints there may be continuous crimping both of the outer mar- 5 gins of the stampings as at 32 and of the inner margins bordering the openings between the cross braces as at 33. Thereby the crimping operations may each be carried out in a single press. I

The inner side walls 29 are inwardly oflset for various purposes as shown in Fig.

8 for the provision of a longitudinal anchorage 35 for longitudinally extending spring,

or as in Fig. 7 to provide for the transverse anchorage 36 of the motor support 37 or in' other ways as in Figs. 1 and 2 to provide a bytransversely extending battery box 38. The transverse offset illustrated in Fig. 7 for the engine support is also transversely shouldered as at 38 to ver' tically seat and support the motor su port 37 The spring support 35 shown in ig. -8

extends transversely quite a distance underlying the cross brace 23 and forming a part of the underwall 31 thereof. The offset 38 of Figs. 1 and 2 is extended both transversely and longitudinally and is open at the top whereby the battery or other parts stored therein may be easily inserted and removed.

Obviously, offsets-for these and similar purposes may be most readily proviied by stamping in theinner walls 29 of e side, sills and the under walls .31 of e cross braces. V

In the regions of these ofi'sets the opposite side walls of the chassis side sills and the cross braces respectively are inter-braced as castings 39 of appropriate form and shape to transversely brace the relatively thin sheet metal walls the better to receive the strains of the anchorage as applied'by through bolts 40 or their equivalent devices. Such interbracing means at the opposite ends of the sills constitute in themselves supports for anchorages, 41 for the front and rear spring shackles.

The one piece upper stamping has formed therein as part of the cross brace 24 integrally connected heel board 42and seat support 43, also integrally formed tank cover plate 44 and seat support 43.

In the modification shown in Fig-12, the lower crimped joint 32 is outturned instead of downward to form the support for the inner edge of the footboard 45 shown. in clotted lines.

In the modification shown in Figs. 13-14, the footboard 46 is formed integrally with the outer and'inner walls 26 and 29 of the chassis side sill 20. The outer. wall 26 is 1 turned outwardly and downwardly to con stitute the upper surface of footboard 46. The inner side wall 29 is'turned. outwardly and transversely corrugated as shown in Fig. 14. It is welded to the outer wall in the corrugations.

Many other modifications may be mentioned, the cutting out of the metal in certain of the cross brace formations to lighten the .same, as for example, at 45 in Fig. 4-A, the under side of the frontcross brace 21 where the metal is flanged upwardly on the margins of the opening. The up er wall of cross brace 21 constitutes the ront cover plate of the chassis sills and cross brace. Drip pans may be formed integrally with either the upper or the lower of the two stampings. None are shown since the man'- ner'of their formation of one piece stamping iswell known in the art. The joints be tween the stamping, while best formed by crimping as shown, may be formed in other Ways as for example, as welded lap joints or joints of other construction and making. Welded joints are shown between certain of the margins as for example, those between the upper and lower walls of cross braces 24 and 25 constituting the seat support 43. Others of reater and of less extent can be readily malle by those skilled in the art but in all of them the objects of my invention will have been achieved and the advantages thereof secured.

What I claim as new and useful is:

1. An automobile chassis of hollow cross section comprised of upper and lower sheet metal stampings constituting its upper and lower surfaces and joined together in their margins.

2. An automobile chassis of structural form and hollow cross section, the various structural members of'which have their upper surfaces formed in common of one sheet metal stamping and their lower surfaces formed in common of a second sheet metal stamping and their stampings joined together in their margins.

3. 'An automobile chassis comprising side sills and cross braces of hollow cross section and the side sills being of box cross section,

the upper surfaces of which members are formed in common of one sheet metal stamping and the lower surfaces of which member are formed in common of another sheet metal stamping.

4. An automobile chassis embodying a chassis side sill of box cross section comprised of two longitudinally extending sheet metal stampings constituting respectively adjacent side walls of the box cross section and crimped together in diagonal opposite corners of the sill.

=5. An automobile chassis embodying a chassis side sill of box cross section, two adjacent sides of which are constituted in common of one sheet metal stamping and the two remaining sides of which are constituted in common by another sheet metal stamping, the upper of said joints being downwardly offset to provide a floor board supporting shoulder.

6. An automobile chassis embodying chassis side sills of relatively thin sheet metal stampings and box cross section, the inner side walls of which box section are inwardly offset to serve as portions of transversely extending cross braces.

An automobile chassis embodying chassis side sills of relatively thin sheet metal stampings and box cross. section, the inner side walls of which are inwardly oflset and transversely shouldered to serve as portions of transversely extending cross braces.

8. An automobile chassis embodying chassis side sills of relatively thin sheet metal stampings. and box cross section, the inner'side wall of which is provided with integral transversely extending ofi'sets carrying longitudinal anchorages for longitudinally extending s ,r1n

9. 11 automobile chassis embodlying chassis side sills of relatively thin s eet metal stampings and box cross section, the inner side wall of which is provided with an integral transversely and longitudinally extending portion downwardly ofl'set as respects the top of the sills and open at the top to serve as storage space for batteries and the like.

10. An automobile chassis comprising side sills and cross braces of hollow cross section and the side sills being of box cross section, the upper surfaces of which members are formed in common of one sheet metal stamping and the lower surfaces of which members are formed in common of another sheet metal stamping, the outer and upper sill and upper cross brace walls constitute the one stamping and the inner and lower Slll walls and the under cross brace walls being constituted by the other stamping.

'11., An automobile chassis of hollow cross section comprised of upper and lower sheet metal stampings constltuting its upper and lower surfaces and joined together in their margins, the upper stamping embodying integrally a connected heel board and seat suport. I p 12. An automobile chassis of hollow cross section comprised of upper and lower sheet metal stampings constituting its upper and lower surfaces and. joined together in their margins, the upper stamping embodying integrally a rear anchorage board and a seat support.

13. An automobile chassis embodying a side sill of generally box cross section fabricated out of a plurality of sheet metal stampings, at least one of said stampings being flan ed inwardly to form a floor supportlng le ge projecting laterally from the box section portion of the sill between the portions of the sill.

14. An automobile chassis embodyi at upper and lower side sill of generally box section form fa ricated out of a plurality of sheet metal stamping through two ad acent. an ularly related sides of the sill ,and joine in its edges through flanges thereon projecting out from the box section portion of the sill to the remaining stamping or stampin of the sill at least one of said edges thus j omed extending outwardly from the sill between the upper and lower portions of the sill.

1ngs,'at least one of said stampings extend- 15. An automobile chassis embodying a side sill of generally box section form fabricated out of a pluralityof sheet metal stampings said stampings being joined together throu h edge flanges thereon projecting outward from the general box section form of the'sill befizween the upper and lower portions of the s1 16. An automobile chassis embodying a side sill of generally box section form fabricated out of a plurality of sheet metal stampings, said stampings being joined together through edge flan s thereon crimped one over the other an projecting outwardly from the general box section form of the sill in various directions at leastone of said flanges forming a shoulder between the upper and lower surfaces of the sill. r

In witness whereof I hereby aflix my sig nature.

" J OHN- P. TARBOX. 

